Long Term Effects of Drug Abuse on the Brain

The human brain is a constantly changing organ. Your brain is not the same as it was one year ago or even one month ago. Every time you learn a new fact or gain a new understanding or even enjoy a new activity your brain develops new connections called synapses. Over time, some synapses become stronger while others weaken and may disappear altogether. In short, your brain influences and is influenced by all that you do. The wonder of the human brain is a great gift when it is treated to positive learning and experiences, but the brain is also vulnerable to mistreatment.

Your brain is also responsible for helping you to enjoy life. When you enjoy an ice cream cone, hear your favorite song, laugh at a joke or pet a soft furry kitten – it is your brain that allows you to experience those things as pleasurable. When you pet the kitten, a reward pathway within your brain is turned on (activated). The neurons within the brain become stimulated and they release a substance called dopamine which makes you feel good as you pet the kitten.

People who take illicit drugs are hijacking that reward pathway within the human brain. Drugs work to initiate the release of dopamine from those neurons in your brain and that release gives users the pleasurable feeling referred to as euphoria. The good feeling of euphoria doesn’t last long, therefore the brain will ask you to repeat the activity (taking drugs). This reinforcing effect that creates a desire for more of the drug is called craving. Unfortunately, the reward pathway is just one part of the brain that is impacted by the use of drugs; other brain regions are impacted as well.

Just as drugs affect the neuron activity in the reward pathway, they disturb normal neuron function in other areas within the brain. This explains why a person abusing drugs demonstrates diminished motor skill function and their ability to form reasonable judgments becomes impaired. The changes in walking or in speech are evidence of the interference with neuron function. Marijuana is an example of a drug which activates the reward pathway and impairs regions which govern motor skills and judgment.

Some drugs will affect brain regions responsible for memory and learning. Brain images reveal that serotonin transport which controls sleep, emotions, learning and appetite is negatively impacted by the drug ecstasy. Users of ecstasy will experience impaired serotonin function in any or all of these areas and the longer they use the drug, the more damage may be done. In fact, drugs can actually kill neurons. Tests have been performed on animals which show cell death in the cerebral cortex as a result of drug use. Nearly two years later the animals still showed signs of cell death and scientists warn that even after numbers return, it remains uncertain whether they will function normally.

Drugs like cocaine may reduce brain function for extended periods of time. Brain scans of those who use cocaine have revealed diminished brain activity lasting as long as three months following the last time the drug was used. Again, scientists suggest that there may be regions within the brain which are never able to recover.

The brain is a marvelous collection of highly specialized cells and one that is capable of constant change. That change can be good when it results from positive learning and healthy experiences. The brain’s potential for change is dangerous when it is subjected to harmful substances which impede its normal function or which hijack the healthy reward pathway.